Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin

“ Semen began to form acquaintance with his nearest neighbors—trackmen like himself. One was already a very old man, whom the railway authorities had long intended to replace; he could hardly move from his watch-house, and his wife attended to his duties. The other trackman, who lived nearer to the station, was still a young man, thin and sinewy. Semen met him for the first time on the railroad-bed half-way between their watch-houses, while they were making their rounds; Semen took off his cap and bowed. "Good health to you, neighbor," he said. ”

“ Semen looked after him till he was lost from sight at the turn of the road, then he returned home and said to his wife: "Well, Arina, what a venomous man that neighbor of ours is!"
Nevertheless they were not angry with each other; and when they met again they spoke as if nothing had happened and on the very same topic.
"Ei, brother, if not for the people—we would not sit here in these watch-houses," spoke Vasili.
"Well, what if we do live in a watch-house? It is not so bad to live in one, after all."
"Not so bad to live, not so bad— Ech, you! You lived long, but gained little ”

“ He starved and froze, and baked in the hot sun, and marched from forty to fifty versts in the frost or in the burning heat. It also happened that he was often under fire, but, thank God, no bullet ever touched him. ”

“ He occupied a whole private car by himself—on the station he alighted and stood on the platform, looking—no, I will not stay here long; I shall go where my eyes will lead me."
"But where will you go, Stepanich? Let well alone, you will not find it much better anywhere. You have a home here, warmth, arid a bit of land. Your wife is an able workwoman—"
"Land! You ought to see the land I have—why, there isn't a stick on it. This spring I planted some cabbages. Well, one day the track-master passed: 'What is this?' he says. ”

“ Once the master of the division came to make a preliminary inspection of the road. In three days' time very important gentlemen were expected from St. Petersburg to make an inspection of the road: everything had to be made ship-shape; some new gravel was ordered before their arrival, added, leveled, and smoothed out, the sleepers were examined, the nuts tightened, the verst-posts newly painted, and the order was given that some fine yellow sand be strewn over the crossings. ”

“ But the bloody flag did not fall to the ground: some one's hand caught it and raised it aloft in front of the oncoming train. The engineer saw him and brought the engine to a stop.
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The people came rushing from the train; soon they gathered into a crowd; before them lay a man, unconscious, covered with blood; another man stood beside him with a bloody rag tied to a stick.
Vasili surveyed the crowd and lowered his head.
Bind me," he said; "it was I who cut the rail."
↑ A copeck is a little more than half a cent. 100 copecks make a silver ruble, or 60 cents. ”